Fela Kuti, Sade Adu honoured with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction
Barely two months after Afrobeat progenitor, Fela Anikulapo Kuti was honoured as the first African musician to get the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the late singer, composer and human rights
Barely two months after Afrobeat progenitor, Fela Anikulapo Kuti was honoured as the first African musician to get the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the late singer, composer and human rights activist has been honoured again.
This time, Kuti and Sade Adu have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The two global musicians of Nigerian descent were honoured for their influence on the global evolution of music.
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The induction was announced by Lionel Richie and Ryan Seacrest on reality talent show, American Idol.
Fela is being honoured with the Early Influence Award for laying the foundation of Afrobeat. Sade Adu got inducted for her enduring influence on the global evolution of music.
The 2026 inductees were announced during the annual hall of fame reveal segment on American Idol by judge, Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest.
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame serves as both a museum and an honorary institution, celebrating the most influential figures in popular music — spanning rock, pop, hip-hop, R&B, and soul.
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Fela, widely recognised as the pioneer of Afrobeat, was inducted under the ‘Early Influence Award’. By blending West African musical traditions with American funk and jazz, Kuti helped shape a genre whose impact continues to resonate worldwide, decades after his death.
In February, he was also posthumously honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in Los Angeles.
Adu was inducted into the ‘Performer Category’. Known for her smooth contralto voice and timeless hits such as ‘Smooth Operator’ and ‘The Sweetest Taboo,’ the 67-year-old Grammy-winning singer remains one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary soul and pop.
In all, 18 artists made the cut across four categories. They include Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade Adu, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan in the Performer Category.
For the Early Influence category, artists like Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons were inducted while for Musical Excellence Award, artists like Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller, and Rick Rubin were inducted.
